No Turning Back, A Breaking the Rules Novel

by A. m Madden

  “Oh, no worries. I get it.” While my cheeks flamed red, Rebecca continued to grin on her side of the table. “Ricky can attest to the fact Marco and I were hard to be around when we started dating. I could only imagine how much worse it would’ve been if we had the history you two do.”

  “Speaking of. Do you remember what tomorrow is?” Ryder asked, and then deliberately paused.

  I searched my brain, and the significance of the date slammed into my memory. “It’s the day we met six years ago,” I responded with a smile. He nodded and pecked my lips with a chaste kiss.

  Wondering if he knew that all along, Rebecca clapped excitedly. “Congratulations. How did you two meet?”

  Ryder took my hand in his and seized the opportunity to recount the way our first initial and common last name had brought us together on that fateful day.

  At the two-month mark of pregnancy, the dreaded morning sickness kicked in. Nothing appealed to me. The smell of garlic would cause bile to rise, and I learned the hard way that salads were no longer my friend.

  Being a pescatarian limited my choices, and Ryder made it his mission to find something that I could tolerate, with little luck. So far, shellfish, tuna, most vegetables, and eggs were all a no go. The small list I existed on was saltines, applesauce, bread, plain pasta, and decaffeinated tea. So far, nothing seemed to break through the constant nauseousness plaguing me.

  I worried the babies weren’t getting proper nutrients, but Dr. White assured me the fetal vitamins I’d been prescribed were playing that role. Meanwhile, Ryder made no apology that it was my well-being with which he was concerned. I could say the same about him. At the rate I was going, we’d both be losing weight. As I nibbled on crackers, to spare me discomfort, he would eat a bowl of cereal.

  When a few days went by with him eating little more than that, I insisted he eat something more substantial. That prompted him to take over cooking while cautiously trying to keep aromas at a minimum.

  Most of the time, like tonight, he brought in a bland meal for himself, along with my pasta, and another experimental dish in hopes I could eat it without wanting to throw up.

  From our bedroom, where I had been lying down, the door buzzer sounding meant our meal had arrived. While listening to the muffled voices, dread mixed with the queasiness. I now hated mealtimes and prayed this would pass sooner than later. Unfortunately, that damn book I kept on my nightstand warned that for some women morning sickness could continue past the first trimester.

  A few minutes later, Ryder poked his head in. Upon seeing that I was awake, he came over and sat on the edge of the bed. “Ready to eat?”

  “No,” I answered truthfully. “What are we trying tonight?”

  “I ordered you baked salmon and brown rice.”

  “Okay,” I said with as much enthusiasm as if he’d said he’d ordered a baked rat. “What are you having?” Ryder refraining from eating any of his favorites, and watching him suffer through a bland, boring diet because of me, forced my intervention. I made him promise he would order whatever he wanted, and he agreed as long as he ate it out of my sight. But regardless of our agreement, his pause meant he didn’t want to say, “Honey, it is what it is. Tell me.”

  “Steak and fries. And don’t argue with me… I’m eating it on the balcony.”

  “Stubborn man,” I said with an eye roll.

  My stomach chose that moment to grumble. That meant nothing. It wasn’t my appetite that suffered any. At hearing it, he grinned and offered his hand to help me out of bed. “Come… let’s see if salmon is the winner.”

  I kept the bleh to myself. Strangely enough, it was the thought of his steak that appealed. We stepped into the kitchen, and no sooner had he removed the lid off the aluminum take-out container than the smell hit, and bile rose. “Shit,” I managed before clamping a hand over my mouth. Ryder again watched in horror as I dry heaved over the sink.

  His look when I faced him crushed me. “This is normal, Ryder.”

  “I know… that doesn’t make it any less of a torment to witness.” He took the meal I abandoned to the sink and flushed it down the garbage disposal. “I guess it’s pasta and butter again for you.”

  Once he situated me at the island with my gourmet entrée, he went out to the balcony to eat his dinner, with Kayla following behind. From my position, I watched him cut into his steak with little enthusiasm and slide a perfectly cooked slice into his mouth.

  Like a bolt of lightning, desire for a taste shot through me. Assuming it was a fluke, I continued to stare, only for it to worsen with each bite he took. When my stomach rumbled again, I tossed my fork into the blah pasta and stormed out toward the balcony.

  He looked up with a scowl. “Baby… I’m not coming in to—”

  “Hush.” His eyes tracked me as I snagged the steak-laden fork out of his hand and gobbled it up. The satisfied moan I released caused his mouth to fall open in shock.

  “Meat? You want meat?”

  With a mouthful, I said, “Ah-par-went-lee.” Each chew released a burst of deliciousness into my mouth until a swallow had me craving more. “When did steak become so delicious?”

  He didn’t bother with a response. Instead, he plopped me on his lap before sawing into the filet, offering me another bite and then another. The pattern continued until every bit of his steak and most of his fries were gone.

  “That settles it. You’re no longer a pescatarian.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Ryder

  June

  My life was almost perfect. To clarify, everything between Riana and I was flawless. Living with her had been the best decision I’d ever made, second to pushing her back into my life. I found a renter for my condo, which gave me a monthly income. Like Riana, I owned my place, and since my home was now in Fort Lauderdale, she was right in that having the apartment sitting empty was a waste. Everything was great.

  Unfortunately, what made my days less than ideal was how badly my agency had gotten off to a rocky start. Of the six clients who’d followed me out the door when I left Morton, one of them lagged in signing the contract. Sure enough, when prodded, he finally admitted to having a change of heart. When I further prompted him to explain the real reason, his refusal to do so meant my former boss had gotten to him.

  I thought it was strange Doug had been quiet on his end, especially when I hadn’t been slapped with any lawsuits… although they wouldn’t hold weight in court. But knowing Doug, that wouldn’t have stopped him if his intent was to cause me stress. However, my suspicions made me think it was more than stress he wanted to achieve. That prick was up to something.

  Sure enough, a few phone calls to colleagues in and out of my old firm confirmed Doug had been spewing lies behind my back. Lies were just that, until proof surfaced. I may have worked for a scumbag, but I was squeaky clean in my track record. To someone like Doug, that meant nothing.

  Well, fuck him.

  Hiding my ire from Riana proved difficult. It wasn’t because I lacked in my ability to act the part. It was keeping it all from her that killed me more with each day that went by. We’d made a promise to each other to be honest no matter how difficult it was. And I would keep that promise, eventually. Right now, there was no way I would cause her worry until I did everything I could to fix my situation. If I failed, then I’d fill her in.

  In the meantime, making her happy was my number one priority. And so far, so good.

  Our Sanibel weekend set the bar high. Riana had had such an amazing time it would be hard to beat that. I’d spent every day since then racking my brain on what to do next. Until Ricky came up with a brilliant idea.

  Apparently, the yacht they owned came equipped with a helicopter. So come this evening, and unbeknownst to Riana, we were flying to the Bahamas. The difference with this getaway was that we weren’t going away for just the weekend. Since today happened to be her birthday, this trip would be five days long.

  Wes had already cleared my schedule, and I’d p
robably have to work my ass off next week to make up for it. But a few days away from the mess my career had become wouldn’t make a damn difference.

  Riana wiped the linen napkin across those delectable lips of hers and released a seductive moan. She had just polished off a huge porterhouse steak, french fries, and a piece of the chocolate layer cake that held her birthday candle.

  “That was delicious… and I’m stuffed.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle at that obvious statement, earning me a narrowing of her eyes. “Are you sure you don’t want anything else? It’s a steak house. I’m sure they have a side of beef you can have a go at,” I said, earning me a stiff tongue poking through those lips. “A bison?”

  “Shut up. It’s not funny. At this rate I’ll gain a hundred pounds.”

  “And you’d be as gorgeous as ever,” I argued, now earning me a brilliant smile. The surge of pleasure that traveled through me had been only partly because of how stunning she looked tonight. Wearing a formfitting black dress, her hair down and loose around her shoulders, and the sexiest red high heels I’d ever seen almost had me forgoing our plans to carry her back to our bedroom.

  A bigger reason for the pleasure I felt was the rosiness on her cheeks that replaced the sallow complexion she’d sported these past few weeks. Also gone were the dark circles around her gorgeous brown eyes. Morning sickness had really done a number on her, and I hated being a bystander witnessing it with little I could do to help.

  Thank God that steak she had devoured had managed to give her an appetite for something other than empty calorie carbs. Since her culinary revelation, there wasn’t a meat she wouldn’t give a try… burgers, veal chops, bacon! She even loved that bacon ice cream she’d claimed was vile.

  I took her hand in mine and kissed her knuckles. “It makes me happy seeing you enjoying a meal.”

  She patted her flat belly with her other hand. “I just wish these babies wanted something a bit more figure friendly. I’ll have to talk to Dr. White about running again.”

  Her comment forced a forceful shake of my head. “Let’s not get hasty, now. You’re carrying twins and—”

  “Ryder… pregnant women exercise all the time.” My unconvinced expression prompted her to add, “There’s a long list of benefits that come with exercising during pregnancy.”

  “Well, there are other, safer things you can do besides running. It’s dangerous. You can get knocked over by some asshole or fall because of a crack in the sidewalk or trip over a dog.”

  “Yes, the hospital is filled with pregnant women who tripped over dogs on their runs.”

  “I’ll get you a treadmill you can safely walk on at home.” Her eyes floated up toward the ceiling with a sigh. Ignoring it, I lifted a hand to summon our server. We had a helicopter to catch.

  The waiter appeared a few seconds later at the side of our table. His eyes lingering on Riana’s empty plate forced me to suppress a grin. When he served our meals, he had placed the huge porterhouse before me, only for Riana to set him straight. After the mammoth wedge of cake appeared, he’d asked if we wanted two forks or if she would be polishing it off by herself. Needless to say, Ree wasn’t a fan of his.

  “Can I get you folks anything else?” he asked with a wry smirk.

  “I think we’re good,” she snipped back, obviously not over his rude speculations from earlier.

  “We’ll just take the check. Thank you.” Once he stepped away, I grinned at her. “You’re adorable. Happy twenty-seventh birthday, my love.”

  Her irritation instantly vanished as she gifted me with a stunning smile. “Thank you for making it special.”

  “This was nothing. The best is yet to come.”

  “I can’t wait.” That smile turned devilish before she added, “I may or may not have a new teddy to show you.” Loving how she assumed what came next, I simply nodded while giving nothing away.

  “Well, then… let’s get out of here.”

  As we emerged from the restaurant, a black sedan sat idling at the curb, waiting for us.

  “Good evening.”

  “Hey, Rodney. Thanks for coming to get us.”

  “Of course, sir.” He opened the door. “Miss Riana?”

  One perfect brow rose in question before she slid into the back seat and I followed. “Why aren’t we taking a cab back like we took here?”

  “No reason.”

  “What are you up to, Mr. Carter?”

  “Wouldn’t you like to know, Miss Carter.” Her response was a weighted sigh, and her exasperation only worsened when the first hint we weren’t heading back to our condo came as the driver took the exit for the airport. “Ryder… where are we going?” she asked in a panic.

  “Shit. I don’t know,” I answered, feigning ignorance. But when I pretended to eagerly scout our surroundings through the window, she shoved me playfully. “Just trust me, okay?” I said.

  I lifted our entwined hands and kissed hers before she gave me a nod. “Okay.”

  Miraculously, she behaved herself the rest of the way—that was, until the sedan entered through a gate leading to a secured runway and stopped before the Bella Viaggi I’s helicopter. Her head swung my way in shock, but she remained silent. Riana’s mouth had been gaping for so long now I feared something would fly into it.

  “So we’re going on a little trip,” I finally admitted with a shrug. When our driver slipped out of the car, I promptly tugged her out as well and waited for him to retrieve our luggage from the trunk.

  “You packed a bag for me?”

  “Yes… oh, and I need to fess up. I found that new teddy you mentioned earlier.” Her eyes widened. “I can’t wait to see it on before I strip it off you and then eat your—”

  “Um… sir?” our driver asked, causing her eyes to bulge further. “I’ll have these loaded for you. Is there anything else you need?”

  “No, Rodney. Thank you.” With a deafening whir, the helicopter’s motor roared to life, and the blades began spinning. “Pussy…” I was forced to shout to complete my sentence. Those lips parted again with a shocked gape. Flashing her my best smile, I took her hand in mine. “Let’s go, beautiful.” Her excitement was infectious when we trotted over to the open door.

  Fifteen minutes later, we were buckled in, headphone equipped, and on our way. During the next ninety minutes, Riana pointed at lights twinkling in the night sky and asked random questions with her voice amplified in my ear. Meanwhile, I could barely contain my nerves as we neared our destination.

  When the helicopter descended onto the landing pad marked with a large X on the rooftop of the Bahamian Paradise, she began bouncing in her seat. “Bahamas?”

  “Surprise!”

  “How did you do this?” she asked in awe.

  “I have to admit it was Ricky’s idea. He also arranged everything necessary to get us here—passport approval and clearance to land. So it wasn’t all my doing.”

  “This is your doing,” she argued, her sweet voice filtering through my headphones. “How long are we staying?”

  “Until Sunday. For the next five days you and I will be exploring the Bahamas, swimming with dolphins, hitting their beaches, and anything else you want to do.”

  She palmed my jaw and kissed me hard and long. “You’re amazing, Ryder. I love you.”

  “I love you more. Happy birthday.”

  By the time we disembarked, checked in, and reached our suite, it was close to midnight. I couldn’t wait to make love to her, but there was one thing I needed to do first… and it had to be done on her birthday.

  “I feel like a broken record, but this is all so amazing.” She came over to where I’d been watching her and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  “You’re welcome.” I reached around to take her hands in mine while staring into her eyes. “Riana, I know our path to this moment hasn’t been a straight-and-easy one. But I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… I will do everything in my powe
r to make you happy and remind you how much I love you every day for the rest of our lives.” A wave of anxiety shot right through me. I had no idea why I was so nervous… it was Ree.

  When she rose on her tiptoes to kiss my lips and said, “I will do the same,” she unknowingly gave me the boost I needed to kneel on one knee.

  Her mouth gaped with a gasp. “Riana Carter, it would’ve been perfect to do this on the beach with the surf providing a backdrop… or at a romantic restaurant with candlelight and floral centerpieces. But it’s more important for me to mark this day, and I have ten minutes before it ends. So forgive me for the hasty delivery, but will you marry me?” A radiant smile illuminated her face while her eyes shimmered with emotion.

  “Yes,” she whispered on a nod. “Yes. Yes. Yes.”

  I reached into my pocket and pulled out the little black box I’d been walking around with in my pocket all day. My fingers trembled as I tried to one-handedly flip the lid to get the ring out. Hers trembled even worse when I slid it on.

  “I love you more than anything in this world,” I said, placing a kiss on the diamond before standing. “And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “Neither can I.” We gazed into each other’s eyes, and with one look I could feel every ounce of her love penetrate straight into my heart.

  I truly loved her with every fiber of my being. How the hell was I nervous when this incredible woman has owned my heart since I first met her? How could I have doubted this?

  Her upturned face was begging to be kissed. I sank my fingers into her silky hair and closed the gap between us. Tasting her was like heaven. I devoured her mouth to consume her whole. She, in turn, wrapped her fingers around the nape of my neck to ensure I continued doing so.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Riana

  Ryder was right in that our journey wasn’t by far an easy one, and that only made our connection stronger than ever. The sex has been amazing. I wasn’t sure if it was our need to make up for lost time or our need to physically confirm what we shared that had us insatiable for each other.